Your ride today.... (part 1)

[ianrauk]

Knocked out March's century challenge ride. To Ashford, Kent and back with @Mista Preston and @martint235 of this parish. The weather reports yesterday was for no rain until at least 4pm but upon waking up this morning at 6am I could hear the rain pattering against the windows. Great. I expected a text or FB message from Martin saying he wouldn't come out to play. He hates wet weather riding. By about 7am the rain had stopped, it wasn't heavy rain anyway. And no message from Martin, so the ride was on. I met Martin at the normal meeting point for this ride at Polhill. As per usual, Mista Preston was late. Glad to see nothings changed and great to see him after such a long time. He was only 5 minutes or so late so not bad for him. We haven't seen Mr P for a good long while as we have lost him to his club runs. So we were on our way and once again we encountered a little drizzle but not for long and not enough to get us any where near wet. But with the wind chill it was a little cold. The route was our normal 100 miler ride to Ashford Station and back. Some good climbing in the first 3rd of the ride with nice and flat country lanes for the run in to Ashford. So before long we were supping tea or/and Coke and munching on the various foodstuffs that the cafe in Ashford Station supplies and back on our bikes for the return. This time with a little help from the tailwind gods. Once again, the flat country lanes disappeared under rubber quite quickly with the climb back up the North Kent ridge causing thigh burn and pain in all of us. So 104 very enjoyable miles for the day and march's Century challenge sorted nice and early in the month. The rain kept off, the bike and rider stayed relatively clean and it was great to be out on the bike with 2 people I do really enjoy riding with. Cheers Chaps.

The only downer... An old duffer in a car who overtook me so closely that his wing mirror brushed my arm. Absolutely no excuse for the overtake as I was pulling in to let him pass. Obviously his need to pass was far more important then my safety.

 

[Gareth C]

The Eden Valley Epic certainly lived up to its name today. An early morning Sunday drive over the Pennines to Penrith had snow on the hills and lambs in the fields.

Met up with an old mate Matt to ride the route: we had a good catch-up on the road for about half-an-hour until it became apparent Matt was too fast for me, and zoomed off. Arriving at The Strickland Arms, they were (as usual) doing sterling service dishing out drinks and lollipops, so I stopped for a rest here.

Somewhere around Newby I picked up a rear puncture. I was scrupulous checking where the puncture was, to be able to pull whatever had caused it from the tyre to avoid another. However, nothing doing, so I popped a new tube in and carried on, hoping for the best.

The first major hill of the day is out from Crosby Ravensworth, and by now (09:30), the rain that was forecast for 3pm was here in force! At the top it was impossible for me to get the front gears to engage the big chain-ring (it later turned out that the shifter cable had burst out of the housing somewhere under the handlebars, so that’ll mean new cables).



Pushing on in the small ring, eventually Appleby-in-Westmorland was reached, and the refreshment stop.

The route now follows the edge of the Pennines, and in the past has been glorious cycling. Today it just seemed like hard work – rain, mud, no front gears, and the rear gears gradually seizing up with all the clag from the road.

Finally there was the last steep drag up to Beacon Plantation, which actually wasn’t too bad, as psychologically you know you’re almost back at Penrith.

Overall 95.2km in 4 hours 45 mins (including stops for food and punctures!) and 1311m of climbing.



Bike off for a full service tomorrow!

 

[arranandy]

80 miles out to Biggar via Lanark and Carnwarth then home via Strathaven. Weather was pretty decent apart from the stiff SW breeze.

Heres the route

http://app.strava.com/activities/117227735

 

[gbb]

Just an hour and a quarter on tracks and trails round brickpits and alongside the river Nene around Peterborough, cloudy, blowy but ok. Lots of old and dead trees down, my first ride out that way since the storms, it certainly sorted out the dead wood, so's to speak.

 

[Paulus]

Just 4 miles down to Finchley Central and back for a 12 hour shift repairing the railway. I used it as an excuse to get the Brommie out for a spin though.

 

[vernon]

Great ride there Vernon, don't think I would have been able to move after that frost

It was surprisingly easy. Having suitable sleeping kit and cycling attire helps as does generous slugs of Wray and Nephews overproof rum.

 

[Spartak]

Good ride today despite the drizzle & wind !

http://www.strava.com/activities/117223710

Started off meeting a couple of mates for a ride to Hawkesbury Upton, for the 'Breakfast for a Fiver' to raise funds for the village hall. We went via Iron Acton & then tackled Hinton Hill, so the brekkie was deserved when we got there
I then had a lunchtime meet for a birthday ( a cycling friend was celebrating her 60th birthday ).
More hills led me via Wotton Combe ( a great climb ) thru Dursley & Slimbridge.

My trusty steed on the Sharpness & Gloucester canal at Purton.
The drizzle had now set in and I was glad to soon be passing the villages of Brookend & Halmore, before reaching The Salutatiion in the village of Ham.
Over 40 cyclists had made the trip from Bristol for the celebration

I enjoyed a couple of pints of ......

So after some birthday cake I took to the road for the journey back to Bristol via Rockhampton, Rangeworthy & Winterbourne.
88 kms in total & a most enjoyable day.

 

[PeteXXX]

I was almost at the stage of not getting out today as my granddaughter stayed last night and I had to wait for her to be picked up this afternoon. As I waved her a cheery goodbye, the grey clouds were rolling in and the wind was getting a bit stronger.
Not to be deterred, I got the hardtail out of the shed, popped my helmet on and tootled off for a few miles.

Not the safest place to stop for a breather!!
Target practise!!!

Ne'ertheless, I survived..

Working on the idea of having a tailwind on the way home, I went from Sywell towards Wollaston and then Grendon into the wind and hoped for a cuppa at the fishermens cafe by the lakes, by sadly it was shut
As compensation for lack of headwind, it started piddling down. So it goes.. lol

At the bottom of Whiston Hill, (I'm more used to riding up it) I decided to blast down a nearby bridleway, locally known as 'dog shoot alley' and managed a KOM on Strava

From there, the bridleway deteriorates a tad..

Yes, the woody lumps are as lumpy as they look.. 1" high lumps. Put it this way.. if I had a wig, it'd be on the wonk by the time I was over the bridge..
Thence into unrideable mud for a few hundred yards.

Aiming vaguely in the direction of home and with no chance of either coffee or cake, as my regular nearby stops are closed on a Sunday I resigned myself to looking at roadsigns!

Mmmmmmm Pie......

Back into Sywell & Overstone, I'd had enough of the wind and rain and decided to go home and put me, clothing and my bike in the washing machine and spin dryer.
I'm so looking forward to a ride where I don't have to think of Rule #9 all the way round.

Still, I noticed this carving in a stump on the way home,

and it cheered me up a bit


26 miles, which is further than I thought I'd go..
http://app.strava.com/activities/117254255

 

[totallyfixed]

Interesting weekend which unfortunately involved too much driving. Saturday morning bikes packed plus some posh togs for the outlaws birthday, quick stop to drop off some of the load at Holmes Chapel then on to Longridge via Kiwi Sal's of this parish. Out with the fixed to test the ride to Dunsop Bridge via Whitewell and the up the Trough of Bowland.
The two of them nattering blissfully unaware of what was looming up ahead

Sal has forgotten which country she is in

I reckon the last 3 hundred metres or so must have been close to 18%, this is not fixed gear country, my arms were beginning to detach themselves from my shoulders and with about 100 metres to go I turned around. I think it is doable on a 48 chainring instead of my 50t but then the descent would be crazy down the far side. We will therefore reluctantly be on gears for Colin's ride because I don't do walking. Very easy climb on gears though and very scenic.
Fast forward to Sunday morning in Holmes Chapel and I have to go out for a spin as dr_pink is baking a birthday cake plus we are going out for lunch. I hope I am forgiven for showing pics that @potsy normally does, but we are only about 3 miles from Jodrell Bank when we stay with the outlaws.

You dare not go through any puddles in this area for fear of disappearing into a crater, but at least the rain held off and it cured my one beer hangover, lightweight that I am.

 

[jayonabike]

A good weekend of cycling for me this week. Yesterday I went out after my nightshift and did 64 miles. I was on the road as the sun was coming up and when I got out of town and into the countryside the mist and fog was rolling in and stayed that way for a good hour or so until the sun warmed up and burnt it off.
The lanes and B roads were quiet, my only company were a few rabbits and circling red kites looking for breakfast. Once the fog had dispersed the sunny spring morning was a glorious one and ideal for a great mornings cycling. I was planning to stop for a coffee and a bit of breakfast but my legs were spinning well and I didn't feel the need to stop, so I didn't.
Todays ride was 63 miles
I didn't plan to do that but it just happened. I met a friend James who had been on an early morning ride and had already done 35 miles. I rode with him for 15 miles where he headed off for home and I went off on my own. I looped around a couple of villages and after 30 miles was near home but I had caught up with a couple of other cyclists and as a group we were chipping along nicely, so I stayed with them until the group split up at Redbourn. I was back on my own and now into a strong headwind. I picked up a favourite loop of mine but in reverse, fast undulating B roads for the next 20 miles or so and I was almost home. A few extra miles around town to make the ride a 100km ride to log in the 100km thread and I was home where the wife was cooking a roast pork dinner.
After a bath, a roast dinner and a couple of whiskies this photo was taken of me by my wife about an hour and a half ago. Dogs make great pillows.

 

[Spartak]

Little Spartak & myself cycled to her Primary school this morning, taking part in Sustrans 'Big Pedal' event.

http://bigpedal.org.uk/

School was packed with kids on bikes & scooters !

 

[coffeejo]

I was feeling rather fat yesterday (eating crunchy nut cornflakes straight out of the box does that to you) and with a large bar of chocolate in the fridge awaiting my attention, I thought I'd better head back up into the hills after lunch to burn off a calorie or two. I seem to be hooked on the Quantocks at the moment and there was no question that I'd be going back up there again for the third time that week ... the only problem was which route?

There's no escaping the fact that Colin J's ride is now this month so I thought I'd better throw myself at one of the legnlung busting hills and go the leisurely way home. The total route was about 33 miles with 1838 ft of climbing - all the forecasts for the afternoon agreed that there would be heavy rain, strong winds and a drop in temperature so I thought I'd better stick to roads where I could make haste for home if need be (ie the flatter ones!).

(The black circle roughly indicates the area of the Levels and Moors that's STILL under water - it extends off the map to the east.)

My hill of choice was Buncombe, which has a deceptively peaceful beginning (it's one of my favourite spots in the Quantocks) but then the hill proper lurches out of the ground ahead of you and you certainly know about it by the time you get to the top. The signs say the gradient is 15% for about half a mile and the last few yards are, as ever, the cruellest. There's a cafe waiting to revive you with tea and cake if required but with dark clouds looming on the horizon, I thought I'd better keep going - if I came out after the rain started, the chances of me heading back down Buncombe and going straight home were likely to be quite high...

In the end, that was definitely the right choice as the forecasts were spot on. I did about ten miles, including Buncombe and the even steeper descent on the other side, before the grey clouds turned a darker shade of misery and then lit rip with everything they had. Which was a lot. I took this photo (well, photos as it's an after-the-fact panorama) near Hawkridge Reservoir shortly before it started:

Although absolutely soaked, I stayed warm for most of the ride as the hills and hedgerows sheltered me from the worst of the wind but the last 8 miles or so were an exercise in misery. I couldn't feel my fingers, which made braking and gear changes a bit tricky, and my kit absorbed so much water that even the pad in my bibs was unpleasantly squelchy. And yes, as you probably guessed since this is Britain, I was riding a bike and was soaked, the last 3 miles were into the wind. Joy of joys. I didn't plot the route from my house on the map I posted above but there's one lane I did in both directions. On the way out, it was damp from the morning's rain but indistinguishable from any other country lane in the UK. By the time I returned, it was under water!

It took a bowl of soup, lots of hot chocolate and a very long soak in the bath before I warmed up again but it was lots of fun. Honest...

 

[ScotiaLass]

Just back from a lovely 10 miles, and some MTB riding
My son came with me and we had a blast bombing through the woods. There are 3 different paths at different heights in the woods and I gave him the choice of direction and he chose to go to the top one. I must admit my heart sank a little but It wasn't as bad as I thought!

It was extremely muddy and lots of puddles and rocks etc but the tyres coped exceedingly well and I only got stuck in mud once.
I was too busy having fun to stop and take photos up at the top (and it was a hard climb up and I was busy trying to stay on the bike!) but I took a few before we set off and when we stopped afterwards for a break at the lake.

It was just what I needed. My butt is still sore but moving the seat has helped somewhat.
I am now actually thinking that my padded undershorts are too big and rubbing.

I've washed down my baby and removed lots of mud and tree foliage from her

At the bottom of the woods on a glorious morning

Heading upwards....

Lake at the bottom of the woods - an ideal place for a pit stop!

I'm really sorry if this one puts you off your dinner....

You can't really see it but I shredded a shin with my pedals lol

 

[Dangermouse]

That dog don't half look comfy Jay

Anyway I managed to finish early today, so once home, Eileen had the same Idea, on with the cycling gear............shorts today, it was so nice, so nice in fact we had to stop at a little village pub, well it looked so nice it would be rude just to pass by

 

[Dangermouse]

Enjoying the new bike SL, looking good